hailmary

I'm not sure if you can do much about the current package. But what I would definitely ask / try to negotiate is whether or not your stipend will increase over the course of the program. Usually, schools raise stipends every year or every couple of years for the incoming class (cost of living, to be competitive, etc.) . But they don't always raise all stipends for all years. At my husband's program, for the first couple of years - incoming students were making over $5k more than older students. Once they realized this, the students banded together and asked for equal stipends across all years. As long as the PI was willing to pay it, they were able to get it. Even if it's just a few thousand dollars difference, every little bit helps!

Maybe someday we will! :)

I totally agree with you. This comment lacked context. When I had last emailed with the POI she had said she would get back to me and that she was going to talk to the committee - my GRE score was below the cut off. I took this to mean that there is a possibility (not sure how much of one) that she is going to fight on my behalf or at least put in a good word. If that's the case, I was hoping this new access would help that argument. Of course, I could be misinterpreting that comment. (Also, if I reapply next year I will most likely only apply to that program and the professor is aware of that). You bring up an interesting point here. I've actually published and presented both academically and professionally. But my SOP focused almost exclusively on what I've done academically. If at all, I just mentioned publishing and presenting/sitting on panels professionally in passing as an additional strength. Now that I think about it, one thing my own company has done is create a database of companies in our space since it is a young sector. It's the biggest database that I know of in the U.S. and we've actually mapped hubs and created infographics off of it. I get asked all the time by academics if they can have the data / it in an excel format. I've never really thought of that as an asset in the application process. I should probably think about that for next year! This is true. But over the course of a year and a half I'm confident I could have something "in press" or "under review". At the very least, submitted. Of course publishing a white paper on my own and doing my own press push would definitely be faster. And my friend and her company do get a lot of good press (she's been a TED fellow and they've been featured in all of the major publications including The Economist). So, it could still get widely distributed that way. Lots to think about for sure! Thanks for the thoughtful responses!

(I replied to everyone, but for some reason 2 of the 3 responses need to be approved by a moderator first)

My recommendation writers - while I have a great relationship with them and they are very supportive - are in disciplines that are a little outside of the area I'm trying to move in. So, I'm not sure they would be the most helpful in that area. But I could ask if they have any insight or suggestions. I was counting on the fact that hopefully access to free data (and a lot of it) that is fairly rare will be attractive to professors. Hopefully that proves to be true! Thanks for the vote of confidence! It's true, it could still work out this year. My quant GRE score is really the one big weakness in my application, so hopefully they can overlook that. But if not, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it should be an easy fix as the rest of my application should (at least in my eyes) be pretty competitive.

Great idea with the research proposal! I will put something together. I think I could go in a number of different directions with the data. So, I'll start by finding professors that have work I find interesting and write a few different proposals. I was hoping the access to data (and consequently the ability to publish relatively quickly) would be attractive to programs and professors. So we shall see! Thanks for the well wishes!

This was my thinking as well. I agree that working with a professor would definitely be helpful in that area.

I'm still not 100% sure whether or not I will be starting a program this year or reapplying next year. But either way, a friend of mine is giving me access to her company's data, which basically has to do with entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid in developing countries. There are a lot of ways I can analyze the data and, assuming I find something interesting, I should be able to publish on it. My question is, how should I go about doing this if I am not in a formal program? I have already reached out to the POI at the school that is still outstanding to share my ideas/thoughts and ask for guidance, but if and when that does not pan out, I will need a plan B. Should I reach out to other professors? Or should I just work with my friend and her data scientists and publish/present under their company name? I have a pretty good idea of how I want to analyze the data, at least for the first step. But could use some guidance to make sure I am using the methodologies that make the most sense. I could also use some guidance when it comes to presenting/publishing, which is why working with a professor might be best. But I'm not sure how I would go about finding one outside of the POI that I already have a relationship with. What would you do?

My husband just graduated from a PhD program at USC (biology). The first year we moved out here, we lived right near campus. It was an overpriced 420 sq ft. apartment right on the other side of shrine auditorium. It wasn't the greatest area, but it was within the limits where the USC police make their rounds. Most people do not live anywhere near campus. Each year we moved further northwest. The commute can be bad - but if you live in the right areas and go in and leave at the right times you can shave off a lot of time. Shoot me a message if you want to know more about the best places to live in Los Angeles, things to do, etc.

I think some of those disorders come with perfectionism, and academia tends to be an area where you find driven, successful, perfectionist people. But I think there's similar rates of those disorders in most high stress jobs that tend to hire people that performed exceedingly well in school (finance, medicine, etc.). Also, there were definitely times when my husband was down/semi depressed throughout his PhD program. But it was never clinical and always fleeting. It happens more because - at least in life sciences - most of the time you have nothing to show for your work. It all comes together at the very end when you finally publish as a first-author and graduate. So it's easy to feel worthless/not productive. But it all works out in the end. Actually, maybe I shouldn't say that until after he finds a job!

I had reached out to a POI a couple of weeks ago under the assumption things wouldn't work out this year and asked for advice regarding types of research positions/jobs to accept this upcoming year. They responded last weekend saying my GRE scores were below the cut off, but they would talk to the committee. Any thoughts on what that means? Do you think there's a possibility I could still be accepted this year? I thanked them, and reiterated my commitment to the program. But I haven't heard anything back yet. If it doesn't work out, I'm going to reapply next year and only apply to this school as we are planning on moving to the area regardless and I think it's the best research fit. I made that known in my initial email. I'm just antsy for a decision one way or the other because it would be preferable to move sooner rather than later. My husband is having difficulty applying to jobs across country. I have some remote work / freelance opportunities that would allow us to move now - but most would prefer a more long-term commitment and I can't really commit until I have a better idea of whether or not I'll be starting school in the fall. So, I'm feeling the pressure, but don't want to bother the POI by emailing them again. Living in limbo is difficult! I'm learning that I'm not a very patient person!

My friend is finishing up her PhD at Stern, but her husband is an investment banker in NYC so they don't really have to worry about how much she's bringing in. I'm pretty sure their 1 br apartment is over $2500/month (granted they have a 24/hr doorman, etc.). But I have had friends live in NYC on their own and rent studios for about $1200-1400/month or something similar to that. I think you could easily find a room or a studio in that price range, you just need to keep your eyes out and be ready to spring on opportunities. You could even look into living in Brooklyn or Hoboken.

I'm from Boston, and I think you'll find that it doesn't have the same "city" feel as other cities have. It's extremely walkable - Cambridge and Boston are the top 2 walkable cities in America. And if you want some more space, you can always move outside of the city proper. The T (and commuter boats!) makes it pretty easy to commute. I love Cambridge, especially Harvard Square. I'm sure you'll love it!

We went through this 5.5 years ago when we moved across country for my husband to start his PhD. The previous year he had started at another CA school and decided to transfer. For that move, he flew out and bought everything there (including a car) and I'm not sure how he found his apartment. When we moved out together a year later, we rented an overly priced 420 sq ft. apartment near the university (in a not so hot area) sight unseen. Needless to say, that only lasted a year. But it was fine for the first year. The year prior he had put all of his stuff in storage, so we just flew to that location, got a uhaul, and drove it to your new location. This time around, we're hoping to move back to the east coast. For that, we'll probably drive across country with just our car and use one of those moving pods for the rest of our stuff. Whether or not someone gets to see an apartment beforehand will depend on whether or not someone interviews first. But if not, we have family in both areas we're considering moving so that should make things easier.

I only applied to 2 public policy programs, and got the rejection from Duke today (expected since they conducted interviews a long time ago and already sent out acceptances). Just waiting on UNC (which is my top choice), but historically they admit people end of January. Unfortunately, it's a small program and there's only ever one or two entries on grad cafe every year. So, it's difficult to know for sure. But, not looking good! Oh well, better luck next year!